Beth Ridley argues that DEI as a separate HR function is dead. Real diversity work means leaders must actually know how to lead diverse teams inclusively, or they're not leaders at all. Culture isn't a department.
Welcome back to the Friday episode of the Upswing. Joining us is Beth Ridley, corporate leadership and workplace expert. Beth, appreciate you taking the time here on a Friday morning to be with us. So a lot of my meetings in the last, I don't know, we'll say the last three or four years have involved partnerships, conversations with corporate marketing VPs that start with DEI and diversity, equity, inclusion, positioning, relationship building, hiring, and ultimately what does that advertising and messaging mean for corporate America? Well, in no way has the importance of communication and relationship building faded in the workplace or anywhere for that matter. It seems like investing in DEI at work, it's not a bad. But has it run its course or is it run running its course? I'd say it's even more important, just not as straightforward as it used to be. But I would love your opinions because I know you're. You counsel many of your clients around dei.
Yeah, I think right now the most popular question I get is, is DEI.
Dead or on life support?
And then usually when people ask that.
Question, they proceed to tell me why it is.
And so I just decided that I'm.
Going to be kind of bold and.
I'm going to be like, yep, it's dead. It absolutely. In fact, it should be dead. And what I mean by that is in the traditional sense that we've been thinking about it, which is usually if.
An organization is lucky, they have a.
Chief diversity and inclusion officer or a.
Person in HR who it is their accountability to move this work forward. And that is never a way to actually create an inclusive cultural belonging where it's like the accountability of like one or two people.
Culture is not a department.
It's not a department. So I say absolutely, that is dead.
If that's what you think DEI is.
But what it really is that like, just like you said, Jeff, the need to appreciate that every human at work is different.
So diversity always exists.
You're always going to be have a need to as a leader to lead people who aren't like you or you sometimes don't feel super comfortable with. You have to create an environment where everybody can thrive.
Right.
To support the business. So the need for DEI is dead.
In the sense that it's up to hr.
DEI is leadership. To me, I make no distinction. If you are not a leader who can lead a diverse team in an inclusive way, you are not a leader.
In the modern sense of the word.
So DEI is leadership. That's it. Every time you say leadership, you are talking about diversity, inclusion and equity is.
Just the need to be flexible in our.
